Lower per-game prices and promotional multigame packages haven't quite made up for the 4.2 percent decrease in season ticket revenue for the University of Tennessee men's basketball team so far this year.
The school is about $220,000 behind last year's men's basketball ticket revenue after falling 1,400 season tickets short of last year's sales for Thompson-Boling Arena. It's a drop-off the school anticipated, officials said.
"I'm pleased with where we are. We did have a fair amount of turmoil last year and (first-year head basketball coach Cuonzo) Martin inherited a pretty difficult situation," said Chris Fuller, senior associated athletic director. "So I've actually been pretty pleased when you look at what our schedule has been like. We played (the University of Pittsburgh) at home, and we've actually played some pretty good teams at home, but they're not necessarily household name opponents that would drive ticket sales."
Monday night, UT announced an attendance of 15,239 for the game against UT Chattanooga.
Revenue figures from individual games aren't in yet, but average game attendances are between 17,000 and 18,000 fans, Fuller said. Of that, 13,279 are season tickets. Last year, the team averaged 18,952 tickets per game, ranking fifth in the nation.
The university's low projections for season ticket sales came with even lower expectations for the Vols on the court. Gone from last season's team are popular head coach Bruce Pearl, who was fired after lying to the NCAA during an investigation into violations, and the team's two top players — Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris — who left the program for professional careers.
Going into Monday night's game, the Vols were 6-6, having won five of their seven home games, including the last three.
"Our building is big, and even at the height of our success with coach (Bruce) Pearl, we sold 16,600 season tickets one year, and you almost knew you weren't going to be able to renew all of those because we sold season tickets in the top 10 rows of the (upper level) seats," Fuller said. "I've said this more than one time, but 13,279 (season tickets) means we're selling more season tickets than most buildings have seats."
Thompson-Boling Arena seats 21,678.
UT officials prepared for the drop in season ticket sales by budgeting for a $350,000 loss in revenue, said Bill Myers, chief financial officer for athletics. So far, the team is about $85,000 to $90,000 above that lowered projection, though still below last year's revenues. Most of the sales drop off has been in the upper-level, less-expensive seats, he said.
"With a coaching change, you had to be realistic. You just didn't know," Myers said. "I think I dropped about 1,200 to 1,500 season tickets at different price points and we've been fortunate that fans have exceeded expectations."
To make up for the difference, UT has marketed six-game ticket packages with $15 tickets to some of the season's top opponents, including No. 2 Kentucky, No. 13 Florida and in-state rival Vanderbilt. It sold 860 of those packages — all in upper level sections 325 to 327 — at $90 each, raking in about $77,400. UT is now selling a five-game version of the same package.
The season tickets also include an extra home game, while keeping ticket prices flat, Fuller said.
The athletic department's ticket problem is twofold: the actual revenue it's losing from ticket sales and the perceived dip when many of those customers don't arrive for the game.
The department has "a good idea" of how many fans are actually using the tickets they bought but declined to share those numbers. Fuller said he was concerned about potential inaccuracies from the scanning technology used to count tickets, but insisted the percentage of ticketholders who attend the game is comparable to other venues across the country.
"There's a difference between selling a ticket and somebody coming to a game," Fuller said. "What you see now is people buying the season ticket but still cherry-picking the games. People make spontaneous decisions on 'am I going to go to that one?' particularly when basketball is 19 (home) games."
Conference play will begin Saturday against Florida, which could mean better attendance by fans who want to see familiar foes. UT also is working out ways to get more fans in the seats, including a new print-at-home system that allows season ticketholders to email their tickets to others if they don't plan to attend the game.
Basketball fans have had access to print-at-home tickets for three years, but it's the first time that the transfer has been available, Fuller said.
The athletic department also is examining the results of surveys given to fans of all sports to find out what can be done to enhance their game experience. Officials declined to say what improvements are on the table since no decisions have been made, but any tweaks would be little if any impact on the budget.
"It goes back to making sure we're emphasizing what it is that makes our game experience feel like something people can't live without," Fuller said. "We'll see what we can do from a budget perspective and what we can't, and we'll try to communicate that to our fan base."
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Comments » 37
bUTchVFL writes:
Win and they will come.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Golly people!!??? Get out the door sometimes! Quit hugging the TV and Computer! Go for a walk or something....uhh I meant me. I need to go for a walk or 2.
orangecountyvols writes:
Whine, whine, whine............troll
madmax22 writes:
Imagine how the rest of the SEC must feel, since UT is #2 in attendance in the conference so far this year. That is with such high expectations at Vandy, Fla and bammar.
McMinnVol writes:
"Monday night, UT announced an attendance of xx,xxx for the game against UT Chattanooga."
If I had been able to make the game, we would have had xx,xxx + 1 in attendance! Reminds me of algebra class.
westknoxrepub writes:
People won't come out to see a coach who has no interest in getting people out to see the games. UT fans have to be made to care about basketball. . .you need a salesman at the helm to get fans out, ie Pearl and Mears. . .winning won't bring them out, Green had an average lower attendence than Houston and DeVoe, but a better record. Martin has no interest in getting fans to care about the program and the fact we aren't winning doesn't help.
madmax22 writes:
Last night 4 SEC teams played home games. A night when college football was also playing the Rose and Fiesta Bowls. Auburn drew 4200, LSU drew 8800, Vandy drew 13,000 and Tenn drew 15,239. Not bad for football night and a coach who has no interest in getting fans to care.
VictorKruger writes:
Of all the ignorant football-related posts made in basketball articles, yours is most ignorant, and that's saying a lot. Congratulations!
madmax22 writes:
I respect anyone's desire to only like one sport, but have to question the mental abilities of someone who thinks tobacco is worth living for as it is doing nothing but killing you. Put down the tobacco and try basketball, you be a better person for it.
Witch_Doctors writes:
Witch Doctor say silly comments. Witch Doctor say same all over the world...win and they come. Witch Doctor say really simple...
Bones never lie.
westknoxrepub writes:
What they announce as the attendence isn't the actual attendence, from the people I talked to who were at the game, it wasn't a big crowd.
rocky_topper writes:
Tennessee athletics pad the (actually, they lie about the) attendance at these games, just as they do for football. If you go to the games, then you know what I'm talking about. They count the tickets that have been sold (do not count for those tickets not used) plus pad the numbers here and there.
They hope and pray that people are dumb enough to actually believe the "potential inaccuracies from the scanning technology used to count tickets" stuff being the problem with the counts.
madmax22 writes:
So do you think the other schools don't do the same. It is all relevant to each.
1vavolfan writes:
The attendance figures UT gives are ridiculous. Yes season tickets are sold, but the people who buy them only go to a few of the games or they are ticket brokers who make all of their money selling tickets to the Kentucky and a few other games. I got good lower level seats to the Citadel game for $7, you don't have to be Sam Walton to figure out that means that there is little demand for basketball tickets.If 18,000 tickets are sold and only 12,000 people show up the university is losing a ton of money in parking and concessions.
Pompey writes:
....the damage that Mike Hamilton did to this athletics program will be felt for years to come.....
asmith writes:
paid attendance and actual attendance are two different things. a season ticket drop was expected and that happened. i agree with the administrative comments. we are still selling a lot of tickets. pearl had a huge band of supporters like it or not.
wigmeister writes:
People don't come out because we are still in our third recession in the past 11 years, and discretionary income isn't what it used to be. Prices have to be low enough to entice people back. 5,000 tickets at lower prices is a lot better than 0 tickets at higher prices.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Money in hand is better than two in seats
madmax22 writes:
You are full of crapola. I know for a fact Alabama and Auburn count tickets sold, not actual attendance.
CoverOrange writes:
Wonder what the attendance will be after the next 7 games. The last time UT had a 7 game losing streak was 1991 under Wade Houston. Hope that streak continues.
budd#207344 writes:
CCM hasn't called me and I still go to the games.
TommyJack writes:
Cubicle krapola
LSG410EC83 writes:
True fans will be there and support our university and it's atheletic programs. One thing that I would like to see change. Get rid of the guy announcing UT's starting lineup. Can't understand him after he shoves the mike down his throat and this is not a boxing match. That and the way he starts hollering when the t-shirts get thrown out. The game the young people played, he ran up and down the court getting in the kids way and kept shouting shoot the 3. I for one would love to see him gone. Will be there rooting the big orange this year and the upcoming years because IT IS GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL. GO BIG ORANGE.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Oh MY! You poor Soul! NO really!
I used to absolutely love cigars. For years I smoked one right after another. Now after 2 heart attacks I dream of them some but really don't miss them.
FAMILY and FRIENDS is what life is for. That's it. Well God above all, but sometimes He's really hard to see with all the football and basketball. I suggest you start with what you can see. Football. Football is more than a game. There are real people involved.LOL
mmcginn2#254305 writes:
UT is not only counting tickets or people in seats; they're also counting all the ushers, the cheerleaders, the players, the coaches, and all the other workers who show up. That is how they get away with padding the numbers--because there actually *are* that many people in attendance. It's just that not all of them are there watching the game.
NickDanger-ThirdEye writes:
that is the standard for counting attendance that the NCAA has established. All schools use the same criteria that uses tickets sold plus anyone inside the building like EMTs, Police, ushers,... whether you are at Rupp or at ETSU.
1vavolfan writes:
Glad to know I am not the only one annoyed at this clown. He does the Rocky Top league games and his act is suitable for a summer league but thats it. We stayed after the Citadel game and the guy was hugging and shaking hands with all of the ushers, players, parents, and anyone else who was associated with the team like he was some sort of big shot. If the fans would get as excited about the game as they do getting t-shirts thrown at them then we would really have a home court advantage. Most of the fans at the men's games could pass for extra's on the Walking Dead.
FeelVol writes:
So true my Volunteer brother sometimes I feel like one of only a few that's really dialed into the game.
VolzsFan writes:
Hayden Fox, is that you? You could be the most uneducated jackassss on the computer. Hamilton nuked both football and basketball you doorknob. Yes, football is the thing at about 15 schools across the country. Even many of the best football schools (much better than Mediocre UT U)support basketball very well and make a ton of profit from it. Than there is Tennerseee. Again, most of this country outside the South is college basketball first. The NCAA website tells us that after about the top 15 football schools, the rest of the 320 D1 schools are financed by basketball. Heck, Clemson which is a lot like Mediocre UT has $11 million in their total sports budget revenue column from one source...the NCAA tournament. They have not won a game in a decade in the tournament. Their entire athletic revenue from all sources is just over $50 million. $11 million came just because they have a hoops team. FACT LOOK IT UP. The majority of the D1 basketball schools make at least some profit. After 30 something in college football, they all lose money.
Enjoy your Mediocre U football and please stop driving drunk.
VolzsFan writes:
Hamilton set football back to 1960 levels in attendance. They where down about 30K for most games. 240K per year. Where is that talk? Oh yea, cause you ens don't know nothing.
9thSon writes:
This Chris Fuller, senior associated athletic director, is the King of BS. Last week he said it was good we were not going to a bowl game because we lost money going.
walt23tn writes:
idiot
tovolny writes:
No shucks!
Do the democratic thing and raise the prices.
No need having average wage earners coming to town. Must have people with high income so they can afford to eat three or four meals and stay at the pricey hotels. We average guys drink too much beer and park illegally...really ruin the Knoxville reputation.
Go Vols...y'all!
cltbobcat writes:
you do know that Vandy fits 14,000 and TBA fits 22000 right? 13000/14000 for a nonconference foe is a much better percentage then UT has done this year. Vandy has sold out all of its games this season except for the 5 or so games when students are on break (the student section is about 2000-2500 seats), and always sells out SEC play.
and that 15300 numbers was sold tickets - announced attendance, not numbers in the seats.
lgilbert writes:
Yeah, the fans all of a sudden coming to life when t-shirts are thrown ticks me off also. If they cant yell during the game, then they need to sit down. Just venting off at the first of the year I guess. Looking forward to see this team grow. Wins will not be as many as years past(cupboard not as full), but I do believe we will be in and win more games than many on here think.
taylorsvolfan writes:
Excellent post !
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
you've been posting this drivel for months. time for another line. do you know how to look ahead instead of behind?
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